Source: USDA, 12/1/15

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed three producers and three industry representatives to serve on the Peanut Standards Board.  All six members will serve on the board through June 30, 2018. Their appointments are effective immediately.

Secretary Vilsack selected producer Carl Sanders of Brundidge, Ala., and industry representative Ann D. King of Douglas, Ga., to represent the Southeast Region; producer Jimbo Grissom of Seminole, Texas, and industry representative Shelly Nutt of Lubbock, Texas, to represent the Southwest Region; and producer Lee Swinson of Warsaw, N.C., and industry representative Carl Gray of Courtland, Va., to represent the Virginia-North Carolina Region.

USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the U.S. peanut industry.  All eligible women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to seek nomination for a seat on the Peanut Standards Board.

The Peanut Standards Board is made up of eighteen members representing the Southeast Region, which covers Alabama, Georgia and Florida; the Southwest Region, covering Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico; and the Virginia-North Carolina Region.  One third of the board is appointed each year.  The Peanut Standards Board is authorized under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.  USDA consults with the board to establish or change quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts.

For more information about the board and USDA’s partnership with the peanut industry, visit www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/peanut-standards-board or contact the Marketing Order and Agreement Division by phone: (863) 324-3375.